Poolbeg Press

Full details

ow to submit a manuscript to Poolbeg Press
Poolbeg Press first opened its doors in 1976 and over the years it has become synonymous with nurturing and showcasing new women’s writing. Our slogan Poolbeg the Irish for Bestsellers is particularly apt as authors who were discovered by Poolbeg, such as Maeve Binchy, Marian Keyes, Patricia Scanlan, Cathy Kelly and Sheila O’Flanagan, have become favourites on bookshelves not only in Ireland but throughout the world. We strive to maintain the highest possible standard in good writing and enjoyable storytelling, in both women’s and more recently children’s fiction.

In addition, we recently launched Ward River Press, a more literary imprint, and already have some very significant, exciting and varied books published under that name.

Though our emphasis is on fiction, we do also publish a certain amount of non-fiction.

In the case of children’s books, our particular interest is fiction for the 6 to 12 age range with an educational slant. We are especially proud of our In a Nutshell series of re-told Irish myths and legends and its recent offshoot series Heroes.

We welcome submissions, whether through an agent or directly from you. A preliminary submission should consist of 3 chapters, a synopsis and a short biography. It should be posted in as a printout and on a USB stick. Should we be interested, we will get back to you to request the full manuscript.

Unfortunately, due to the large number of submissions we receive, we are not in a position to answer enquiries about the progress of your manuscript. If you have not heard from us in 3 months, you can assume your submission is not suitable for us.

Again, due to the large number of submissions we receive, we are not in a position to return your manuscript or any other material submitted. Therefore, make sure you keep back-up copies of your work.

Further details on submission

1) Your book must be submitted in Microsoft Word.
2) Submit as a printout and on a USB stick
3) Keep ORIGINAL COPY  of your work. Poolbeg will not return your material.
4) Please include a short biography of yourself.
5) Type your name, book title and page number on every page.
6) Type your name, address, phone number and email on the title page and at the end.
7) Type the Word Count of the book on the title page.
8) Print on one side of each page only.
9) The printout should not be bound. (Secure with elastic bands.)
10) If posting a printout, use a strong padded envelope. An ordinary envelope may tear.
11) Length of novels: 90, 000 to 125,000 words. Non-fiction: 70, 000 words +.
12) Send to: Paula Campbell, Publisher, Poolbeg Press, 123 Grange Hill, Baldoyle, Dublin 13